Burmester carded a round of seven under par 65 at Wentworth in London for a share of ninth at the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship. This was the lowest round of the week.

It has also seen the player, who turns 28 on Friday, move up to 25th in the Race to Dubai standings. It's the player's fifth Top 10 finish in what is, without a doubt, his watershed season.

South Africa's second-ranked golfer, Brandon Grace, also settled for a share of ninth, after starting his final round in second.

The move up the rankings also means that Burmester has moved ahead of Dylan Frittelli, Richard Sterne and Jaco van Zyl and is now the fifth-ranked South African golfer.

Burmester still hasn't qualified for the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, but has several opportunities to book his entry during the course of the next month.

His three best chances will most probably be with a top three finish at anyone of the HNA Open de France (29 June to 2 July), the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open (6 to 9 July) or at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (13 to 16 July). 

The 146th Open will be played from 16 to 23 July.

Top 10 South African rankings - 1 Louis Oosthuizen (19), 2 Charl Schwartzel (20), 3 Branden Grace (25), Brandon Stone (86), Dean Burmester (94), Dylan Frittelli (101), Richard Sterne (104), Jaco van Zyl (113), George Coetzee (143), Thomas Aiken (178).

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport